Corona vaccine: hope for Biontech funds - but some questions remain open

A German company and its US partner have come much closer to a corona vaccine.

So will we soon have the pandemic under control?

It's not that easy.

• The way to a

  corona vaccine

  is apparently not far.

• A German-American study by

  Pfizer

  and

  Biontech

  achieved a

  breakthrough

  .

• But it is still too early for hasty euphoria.

New York / Mainz - It was the news that many people all over the world have been eagerly waiting for.

In the race for a possible

against the

, the pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer has achieved a

.

Together with its German partners from

US company has

developed

a

that could soon be used in the fight against the

.

As both companies announced on Monday, the first

from the phase III testing processes of the

hope.

Corona vaccine: According to interim results, Biontech-Mittel offers 90 percent protection

According to initial findings, the agent should

offer

against

disease

.

The ongoing study of the potential vaccine is being monitored by the Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), an independent group of experts.

The experts found

.

Pfizer and Biontech, headed by company founder Ugur Sahin, are therefore likely to approach the

in order

to apply for

the vaccine.

Hope made in #RLP.

😷🔬🇩🇪🇺🇸 # Biontech from #Mainz and #Pfizer want to apply for approval for # Corona # vaccine.

Study data showed that it offers around 90 percent protection against # COVID19.

pic.twitter.com/dhOqKJRdjJ

- State government of Rhineland-Palatinate (@rlpNews) November 9, 2020

Corona vaccine: Still some question marks behind Biontech and Pfizer funds

But can the new "wonder drug"

really

a quick return to normal everyday life?

It's not that simple, some questions still remain open.

On the one hand, according to Leif-Erik Sander, head of the Infection Immunology and Vaccine Research research group at the Charité in Berlin, it still needs to be clarified whether the supposed corona vaccine

can be as

as in the study in

high-

.

The Charité employee also cannot conclusively see

and whether the vaccinated can actually be administered the drug

.

Sander: “According to the company, there are no safety-relevant side effects.

However, it must be pointed out that the

. "

Another point of criticism from the experts' point of

view was

the

by Pfizer and Biontech.

Some of them were bothered by the fact that

with

were counted as cases.

So it is very difficult to classify whether the vaccine is able

to prevent

or

whether

it can completely prevent infections without symptoms.

Corona vaccine: Biontech admits possible "fluctuations"

There is

also an additional question mark

behind the

.

In scientific studies on possible vaccines, it is known that the

a greater influence in efficacy studies, the lower the number of infected people among the study participants.

Thus, in the

event of premature approval

, the

could

prove to be a fallacy in retrospect.

Biontech also raised concerns: "While the study is still ongoing, there may be

effectiveness."

In the current

, as is usual in such cases,

and the

.

In total, the companies confirmed 94 corona cases.

With 90 percent effectiveness, 86 of the cases must have occurred in the placebo group, only eight in the vaccinated.

Dear World.

We have a vaccine!

Best news since January 10. https://t.co/KtQCHcCc3Y

- Florian Krammer (@florian_krammer) November 9, 2020

In order to successfully complete the vaccine study, the German-American cooperation must be

able to prove

a total of

persons.

Of these,

should then

occur

, which

would

recommended

by the

for approval

.

So we're

the hunt for a vaccine

.

Nevertheless, virus expert Florian Krammer from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in the USA is probably correct in his assessment: "To be honest, this is the

I have received

."

List of rubric lists: © Andreas Arnold / dpa / picture alliance